This is another awful Christmas movie I've seen and boy is it dumb. I guess I'll admit I don't hate it as much as most people, but it's still annoying. This movie isn't a sequel. It's a spinoff featuring one of the minor characters from the original "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation". Whereas that film was funny and memorable, this is dull and forgettable. The plot is that Eddie goes on a vacation to Hawaii after being bitten on the butt by an ape.Yes, that's the plot. Oh, and there's lots of dog farts along the way. Haven't we learned that dog farts are bad things to put in movies? All the jokes are predictable, especially the scene where we know the house they built is going to topple over. Eddie was funny as a character who was in and out of the original movie, but to devote an entire film to the joke of him being a bug zapper is ridiculous. *1/2

First of all, I think it's a bad idea to make a sequel of a sequel. (Seems redundant.) Second, the premise is very weak. The character of Cousin Eddie was very memorable in both Vacation and Christmas Vacation, but he's only good as a supporting character, not as a lead. This is just another prime example of Hollywood trying to milk something that has already run its course. (I felt that the original Christmas Vacation was the swan song to the Trilogy. (Yes, I did say Trilogy!) If they were serious about making this movie, how about hiring writers who actually put time and effort into a good script? it seemed that the writers just threw something together, submitted it, and the movie got made. No wonder this movie was made for TV and released direct to video, instead of being theatrically released. I think Randy Quaid should have passed on this one.

This movie was exactly what it was meant to be, a low budget TV movie based on secondary characters from the original theatrical releases. With only 3 characters from the original movies, Cousin's Eddie and Catherine, and Audrey Grizwald (portrayed by the Original actress Dana Barron, the only one to reprise the role of Audrey, and apparently, to tie this movie in better with the originals), it had it's little charms, in spite of the weak storyline and dime-a-dozen jokes. The biggest upset about this movie is people viewing it expecting it to be a Grizwald vacation, which it was never meant to be in the first place.All in all, Randy Quaid, Miriam Flynn, and Dana Barron did a great job on reprising their roles, and bringing supporting characters into main characters.The movie also references all four theatrical releases keeping continuity to the vacation timeline (references to Vicki Johnson as a stripper in Vegas Vacation, Snots the Dog was there, as well as Christmas Vacation, Eric Idol cameo reprising his part from European Vacation, Cousin Eddie's dirt farm from the original Vacation also mentioned in Christmas Vegation, etc..)Fortunatly, this movie wasn't the end of the franchise, as Chevy Chase and BEverly D'Angelo reprised their roles in a 20 minute short-movie for HomeAway during the 2010 superbowl (also leading up to the next Vacation theatrical release, featuring the Grizwalds, and Rusty bringing his kids to Wally World before they close the park forever).The movie also did a good job under television restrictions. Those who have watched the original theatrical releases (or any National Lampoon movie) on network television would know, much is edited and overdubbed. The producers had to stay within guidelines, censorships, and restrictions they don't have in theatrical movie making.

It'll be a blue Christmas indeed if you subject you're family to this. I loved the original movie, and this one was not worthy of being its sequel. Actually, for all intents and purposes, it is not its sequel. Only one character from the original cast returns. Granted, that character happened to be the hilarious cousin Eddie, but he simply is not hilarious being the protagonist of a movie. His niche is that of the wacky relative who performs zany antics--alongside Chevy Chase. Chevy Chase was needed in this film for it to be a success, and he definitely was not there. As far as I am concerned, a movie is not a "Vacation" movie unless good ole' Clark Griswold is at the helm.